NEW DELHI: India has received the first parcel of Iranian oil to partly fill its strategic storage in southern India, Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd , which imported the very large crude carrier (VLCC), said on its website.

MRPL shipped in 2 million barrels of Iranian oil in the VLCC Dino.

India will fill half of the storage with 6 million barrels of Iranian oil while continuing talks with United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia for the remainder.

A second parcel to be procured by Bharat Petroleum Corp. is scheduled to arrive around Oct. 25, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.

India, which is seeking to hedge against energy security risks as it imports about 80 percent of its oil needs, is building emergency storage in vast underground caverns at three locations in southern India to hold a total of 36.87 million barrels of crude, enough to cover almost two weeks of demand.